Tag Archives: Justice

Glory as Shame

Lent

March 11, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. –Philippians 3:17-4:1

Paul writes about the enemies of the cross of Christ and describes their god as being their bellies and their glory their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. I am not sure what he means by the cross is their enemy. Is it that our self-righteousness exceeds the humility of one willing to die for another? I am deeply moved by the people of Ukraine who understand in theory and in truth the importance of a democracy they are willing to die for. Compared to the idiocy of what is going on in our government both at the state and national level, I understand what Paul means by their glory is in their shame. The USA thinks it is the end-all and be-all of democracies but it is becoming more and more an oligarchy, ruled by the rich. Many of our elected officials do not listen to their constituents while they play them for fools as our leaders chase after the next best artificial controversy they can stir up while not dealing with issues that hurt the people they represent. Our voting for someone because he or she rants well about one’s right to not wear a mask to protect themselves or others from a killer virus, shields them from explaining why they have not raised the minimum wage since July 24, 2009. That is just one simple example. The constituents who matter to them are wealthy. Raising the minimum wage could cut into their wealth. Indeed, it would since we fail to index the minimum wage to the cost of living. Waiting 13 years to increase the minimum wage may have maintained wealth for some but has markedly increased real poverty.

People once wore braided bracelets highlighted with the letters WWJD that stands for what would Jesus do. I fear we do not care anymore what Jesus would do.

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise*. Amen

*The first verse of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind written by John Greenleaf Whittier see at https://hymnary.org/text/dear_lord_and_father_of_mankind#Author

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Manifest Destiny

Lent

March 8, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, –Genesis 15:7-12, 17-18

‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

The United States Magazine, and Democratic Review on the necessity of annexing Texas and the inevitability of American expansion. O’Sullivan was protesting European meddling in American affairs, especially by France and England, which he said were acting “for the avowed object of thwarting our policy and hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.*”

And now Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, is claiming the state of Ukraine as his although he does not claim divine rights, but some eternal ownership. He seems to have plans to add other free countries in eastern Europe to his “land”.

How many wars have been fought over the ownership of land? How many people have died? Is the land game, a king-off-the-mountain game, prescribed by God? Or does evil interfere with the normal migrations of people to set groups against one another? Abram was at first welcomed in what is now the nation of Israel. I wonder what our nation would look like if the Europeans who had first arrived in the New World and the indigenous people who were already here truly worked to break bread together, learn from each other, and developed a world where swords were indeed melted to make plowshares.

We cannot rewrite the past, but we can create a future built on love and communities that work to support one another sans greed and lust for power if that is what we truly want.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to walk your path of righteousness and justice as we carve out our futures. Amen.

*Manifest Destiny explained see at https://www.britannica.com/event/Manifest-Destiny

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Tempted

Lent

Oklahoma ranks 5th in Food Insecurity

March 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.”’ –Luke 4:1-8

Every time I read the above scripture, I am reminded of the spirit-walks young indigenous people from tribes in the United States take as a part of their maturation experience. God does indeed work in mysterious ways across all peoples when we open our hearts and minds to the Great Spirit.

Bread in some form is the primary staple food in most cultures, including the culture of the ancient Israelites. As the Israelites began their sojourn in the wilderness after escaping from Egypt they panic when their food supply was exhausted. God provisioned them with manna from heaven. It is the remembrance of that story that Jesus uses to refuse the devil’s temptation to turn a stone into bread. The devil was also testing Jesus regarding whether he accepted, understood his role as the Son of God. Beyond that, Jesus was forced to consider whether he would use his storehouse of power for his own benefit, a very important consideration for those who have much. Jesus answered it well as a model for all of us when he fed the 5,000.

We, too, must deal with similar temptations.  In 2019, more than 1 in 7 children—10.7 million—were food insecure in the United States, meaning they lived in households where not everyone had enough to eat*. The United States ranks third regarding all food insecurity in the world following Singapore and Ireland. The rest of the world has even worst hunger. Yemen and Venezuela are among the bottom of the rankings according to the Global Food Security Index**.

How can we best Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him through assuring food availability for the masses?

Prayer: Lord, as we walk with you through the wilderness of the world’s temptations, let your Spirit fill us with the courage to feed the hungry. Amen.

*https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-child-hunger/#:~:text=Millions%20of%20children%20entered%20this,eat%20(see%20Table%2010).

**https://www.glaubfm.com/blog/us-ranks-3rd-global-food-security-index#:~:text=The%20Economist%20Group%2C%20supported%20by,list%2C%20following%20Singapore%20and%20Ireland.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Search for Peace and Justice

Ash Wednesday

March 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
   my God, in whom I trust.’
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
   the Most High your dwelling-place,
no evil shall befall you,
   no scourge come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
   so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
   the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

Those who love me, I will deliver;
   I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
   I will be with them in trouble,
   I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
   and show them my salvation.

As I read this scripture my heart went out to the people of Ukraine. It is an appropriate scripture for Ash Wednesday when we begin the preparation of the observance of Jesus’s death and resurrection. I also am reminded of the Jesus Wept statue located at the Oklahoma City memorial site. No doubt Christ is weeping now for all God’s children who are in harm’s way or separated from their families seeking refuge because of greed and lust for power that is running amok in the world.

Prayer: Lord, help us pray this hymn with the people of Ukraine as they struggle for their lives in search of their futures:

Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness;
make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord, only,
that makest me dwell in safety*.

*See at https://hymnary.org/text/lead_me_lord_lead_me_in_thy_right

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Holy is Our Lord!

Ordinary Times

February 23, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 99

The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
   He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earthquake!
The Lord is great in Zion;
   he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name.
   Holy is he!

Mighty King, lover of justice,
   you have established equity;
you have executed justice
   and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the Lord our God;
   worship at his footstool.
   Holy is he!

Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
  Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
   They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
   they kept his decrees,
   and the statutes that he gave them.

O Lord our God, you answered them;
   you were a forgiving God to them,
   but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
Extol the Lord our God,
   and worship at his holy mountain;
   for the Lord our God is holy.

The word “holy” used in this scripture describes a physical presentation or personal manifestation of a deity on a throne*. In ancient times, people who sat on thrones were deemed the highest of the high. Thrones are symbolic of power. The word “holy” when applied here sets God even further apart from the kings and queens of our world. In a news interview with Senator Marco Rubio, he was asked something to the effect what should we in the USA think about the current situation in Ukraine. and he said he was praying, we all should be. He was dead serious. I understand that politicians rolling the words thoughts and prayers off their tongues in response to tragedies has grown old. Particularly when the same actions occurred over and over and are never addressed and yes, we still should pray about them. I think the Senator was expressing the severity of the events in eastern Europe and recognizing that God is better at dealing with evil than any or all of us. We still need to do our part and work for a world where people matter more than power or wealth.

Prayer: Lord, be with our leaders as they struggle to find non-violent means of addressing the problems in Ukraine.  Make our world whole, make us one, make us just. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Judging Others

Ordinary Time

February 20, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ –Luke 6:37-38.

The Greek word translated judge here is krínō which means to pick out (choose) by separating*. I saw a story on the news recently where a man who had served more than 40 years in prison was freed because new evidence was discovered that proved he was not guilty of the crime. We never know all the details of any action. We have a criminal justice system to protect the public, and to restore people to wholeness who have behaved in a way that was detrimental to the well-being of society. Our system of justice is limited by the facts that are missing. That is true in our criminal justice system, but it is also true in our everyday interactions with others. We never know all the facts about why something happened or why someone behaves the way they do. God knows all the facts, but we never do, and we need to be cognizant of that when we feel the need to judge others.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your grace that restores us to wholeness when we have strayed from following your path. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2919.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Dealing with Distractions

Ordinary Time

February 18, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The ability to dispel fear is one of the greatest attributes needed in our world today and Paul gives it his best shot in 1 Corinthians 15. I could not help, as I read this, to think how much energy we burn every day over things of little consequence of which we often have no control while overlooking the world in front of us where we see many wrongs we do have the ability to right but are not willing to make the investment of time and energy necessary to make the changes needed,  and are very hard to actualize. We have needed to rewrite the statutes and policies that control immigration for decades. Three differing issues must be addressed: What is our stand on caring for refugees, who do we want to welcome as persons wanting to and how do we process workers who want to retain their current citizenship but what to work here and not become a citizen. Policies on each should be relatively easy to develop and implement. The rules are not the problem, our prejudices and greed are. One segment of our society very much wants the undocumented to work for them for they can pay them below minimum wage and not provide the benefits required by our government. That is neither fair to US citizens who need jobs nor to the undocumented who need adequate incomes to live.

That is just one example, there are many others. We will never be able to rewrite the out-of-date statutes and rules until we the people reexamine our understanding of what it means to welcome the stranger. Instead of doing the soul searching necessary to understand that concept, we build walls, real and imaginary, to protect ourselves from having to face the real issues. We cannot serve God and wealth* both.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to see the fruits that come with welcoming the stranger. Amen.

*See Matthew 6:24

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Resting on our Laurels

Ordinary Time

February 15, 2022

Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:3-11, 15

So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him. –Genesis 45:8-11, 15

And Joseph delivered all that he promised to the family of Jacob, renamed Israel, Joseph’s family. Exodus 12:40–41 tells us that the Israelites remained in Egypt for 430 years before the Exodus. We do not know exactly when they were forced into slavery. Exodus 1:8 describes that a new Pharoah who did not know Joseph came to power and that was the beginning of the end of their freedom.  One of the lessons of the Exodus is that we cannot rest on our laurels—get lazy or complacent about what we can achieve because we are too busy basking in the memories of former glories. Wealthy empires like Rome generally realized that too late to save themselves. The USA teeters on the edge of such privilege where greed and lust for power blind us from our highest principles.

While we can appreciate what our ancestors accomplished, we should also learn from their mistakes and strive to plan for a better future for our descendants. We cannot rest on our laurels and work toward a world ruled by love at the same time.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage to step out in faith and restore our nation to finding common ground for the Common Good. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Intentional Living

Ordinary Time

February 13, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:27-38

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’ –Luke 6:37-38

The container in which I store ground coffee holds exactly 12 ounces. It must be totally empty to hold the coffee from the pouch I pour into it. To make the transfer I must shake the receiving container at least once to press it down so the lid will close. I usually use that which might run over to make my next cup of coffee before I close the lid. I buy my coffee and other products from Equal Exchange*. My favorite is their Organic Mind, Body, and Soul Coffee. I thought of them when I read the last part of the above scripture. We do not realize the many ways we can help others just through the everyday activities of living. My buying Equal Exchange coffee provides me with a quality product I would buy anyway while enabling small farmers in third world nations to eke out a living, often when they otherwise could not compete with the corporate farms making much of the coffee we drink while their workers earn far below a living wage.

God calls us to be intentional about the way we invest our time, energy, and resources for the wellbeing of all people. Before COVID hit we sold at cost, Equal Exchange coffee, tea, chocolate, and olive oil at my church in support of this program. My hope is we will sell it again when we are able to return to full attendance at worship. In the meantime, we each can buy it online from home. It is a small thing, but we indeed do get a wonderful return for our efforts.

Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field,
praise God for the people who gather their yield,
the long hours of labor, the skills of a team,
the patience of science, the power of machine.

Praise God for the harvest that comes from afar,
from market and harbor, the sea and the shore:
foods packed and transported, and gathered and grown
by God-given neighbors, unseen and unknown**.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for farmers, near and far, who bless us with food for our bodies. Amen.

*To learn more about Equal Exchange go to https://equalexchange.coop/

**Verses one and two of PRAISE GOD FOR THE HARVEST OF ORCHARD AND FIELD by Brian Wren see at https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2711.aspx

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God’s Lessons

Ordinary Time

February 11, 2022

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

I guess I cringe at scriptures like this because they have been misrepresented to make oppression holy. The great history of faith in Jesus Christ springing out of American slavery was formed in a time when slaves were taught to mind their masters well and their reward would come in heaven. Such theology runs through other caste systems including misogyny*. The miracle of God’s grace is that people came come out of oppression with an even deeper faith even though their oppressors tried to mislead them. God’s love transcends human distortions. Those of us who inherited our faith can too easily take it for granted and never take the time to delve into the depths of God’s love.

Paul was writing to the Christ-followers in his letter to the Corinthians who were apparently struggling with the idea that a dead person could come back to life.  This scripture nowhere says if one gives in to the powers-that-be they will inherit eternal life. He says not believing in Jesus’s resurrection separates one from God. The argument about the resurrection is a whole other theological discussion that has nothing to do with sanctifying oppression.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we twist words to salve our own sins. Thank you for your amazing grace that prospers your love in spite of human attempts to redefine it.  Amen.

*For more information on this, you might want to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, Robin Miles, et al.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.